Georgia’s open date this week is only part of the story. The Bulldogs get a breather now, but there’s a real chance they wind up with another one later in the season - either through the College Football Playoff format or by missing the SEC Championship Game altogether.
Right now, Georgia is ranked No. 5 in the AP Poll, just outside the group that would be in line for a first-round CFP bye. The first set of playoff rankings hasn’t been released yet, but the path is clear: if Georgia wins its final five regular-season games and then takes the SEC Championship Game, it would almost certainly put itself in position for another bye. That kind of finish is fully in the Bulldogs’ hands.
Still, there’s another version of a “bye week” that might be more appealing for Georgia fans. In conference championship weekend, the top two teams in each league play for the title while everyone else sits.
Georgia has reached the SEC Championship Game five straight years, so that hasn’t been a break they’ve enjoyed lately. But this year, avoiding that game would require a loss somewhere along the way.
That may sound like a strange tradeoff, but the numbers make the case. Teams that earned a first-round bye in the 12-team playoff era are 1-7 in the quarterfinals. Georgia is 0-2 in the playoff after receiving a bye, which at least opens the door to the idea that the Bulldogs might be better served by playing their way in rather than waiting.
Of course, the most likely outcome is still the familiar one: Georgia reaches the SEC Championship Game, wins the league for the third straight year and claims a first-round playoff bye. It hasn’t gone the way they wanted the last two times, but that doesn’t mean the Bulldogs can’t turn it into a better run this season.
For now, UGA fans are stuck with one week without football. But depending on how the rest of the schedule unfolds, it may not be the last one.
In Other News...
Georgia Showed Fight At Clemson But One Late Problem Remains
Georgias first real test of the preseason brought plenty of signs that Mike Whites group can compete under pressure. The Bulldogs erased an 11-point second-half deficit to pull even with Clemson with 13 seconds left, leaning on a strong effort that included Kanon Catchings 19 points in an 82-80 exhibition loss at Littlejohn Coliseum.
Mike White had reason to like the fight Georgia showed, but the ending also highlighted how thin the margin can be against a quality opponent. Clemson finished it at the buzzer with a layup, leaving the Bulldogs with a close loss and a clear reminder that the late-game details still need work before the games start counting. [Read more 🡒]
Georgia Bye Week Comes At A Huge Time In The SEC Race
Week 8 has set up a crowded SEC picture, with Georgia and Kentucky tied for first in the conference standings as the league heads into another pivotal stretch. For Georgia, the timing of the bye week on Oct. 24 could hardly be better, giving Kirby Smarts team a chance to catch its breath before a high-profile meeting with Florida on Oct. 31 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Smart has already pointed to the growing parity across college football as one reason the race feels tighter than ever, citing the way talent is spread around and how player compensation has changed the landscape. For Georgia, that reality makes the pause even more valuable, because every week in the SEC can reshuffle the standings, and the Bulldogs will return to a schedule where there is little margin for error. [Read more 🡒]
Alabama Suddenly Has No Margin For Error Against Texas A&M
Alabamas October slide has shifted the tone around Kalen DeBoers team in a hurry, and Georgia has already seen enough to know the gap between a fast start and a safe one can vanish quickly. The Crimson Tide are dealing with a string of injuries to players such as Ryan Coleman-Williams, Racin Delgatty, Zabien Brown, EJ Crowell and Terrance Green, and DeBoer has already pointed to those setbacks while trying to steady a roster that has come back to the pack after losses to Georgia and Tennessee.
Now the pressure only rises with Texas A&M next on the schedule, because Alabama can no longer afford another misstep if it wants to keep its College Football Playoff path clear. The lingering question is whether any of those injured players can return soon enough to help, or whether this is simply the stretch where the Tide have to survive on what is left and find a sharper version of themselves before the season gets away from them. [Read more 🡒]